"Well..." Wyn started.
Her words were slow and deliberate, almost like she was thinking about each one carefully.
"I told him you changed plans at the last minute and decided to put together a team of only warriors."
"Wait, hold up! Are you telling me...?" Ravus, dumbfounded, began.
"Yes, Ravus, I never changed my mind. The goal was to gather anyone of legal age who would be humble enough to accept the tournament's quirky rules. As long as they meet the minimum requirements, then yes, they will participate. That is all I ever intended."
"Then why did you make me go to the trouble of creating a team of warriors at the last minute, Wyn?!" Ravus shouted, clearly angry.
I sighed deeply, feeling sorry for Ravus. He was genuinely upset.
Wyn looked down slightly, perhaps embarrassed over the fact that she'd forced Ravus into doing something unnecessary.
"I'm sorry, Ravus. This isn't your fault. It's mine. I should have warned you before you assembled such a weak team. I know you wanted to pick a diverse team with different types of people, but I think it may end up hurting you instead. All I wanted was to humble those vermin who disrespected my beloved when we first arrived in this accursed state."
"...I see. So you really planned all this from the start, huh?" Ravus nodded.
I had chosen to ignore that embarrassing incident completely until now. Even after the scuffle with the warriors back at the entrance gate, I hadn't brought it up. I didn't want to acknowledge that I couldn't prevent Wyn from using excessive violence against anyone she labeled as an enemy when they mocked my shabby disguise.
"Of course I did. Why else would I change it at the last minute for the tournament?" Wyn smiled brightly. "This is our chance to expose these arrogant idiots who tried to treat my beloved badly. We'll get revenge by beating them to a pulp!"
Ravus looked taken aback once more. Then he patted Wyn on the shoulder, giving an approving nod to the change.
She smiled softly, pleased to have someone understand her feelings.
"We can discuss further once the tournament concludes. For now, let us get ready to show," I suggested, changing the topic.
"Indeed, it sounds like things are starting soon. We need to prepare ourselves!" Wyn agreed.
I turned to look at Ravus, wondering if he would be fine.
"Okay. Let's do our best!" I cheered.
"Sure thing, boss! We'll make this as pleasantly cruel for those morons as possible while also making sure the oblivious audience enjoys every bit of it!" Ravus responded enthusiastically, making me realize how much fun we would have working on this first show.
And so, we walked out and back to our rooms, leaving the rest behind to the rest of our crew.
The Mystic Mayhem Tournament was about to enter its first round.
–––––––––––
It was about two hours later, and the first round had finally come.
We gathered near the main stage, where the tournament was taking place. Spectators packed the area, eagerly awaiting the start of the event.
"So, how many warriors did we end up selecting?" I asked, looking around at everyone present.
They all donned their warrior gear, including armor, weapons, and equipment, with some even sporting full-body paint. They looked absolutely amazing.
But what they were about to do for the first round was far from impressive.
"We've got one hundred and twenty," said Ravus.
On the main stage, all the contestants waited for the signal to begin. The audience cheered loudly in anticipation.
There was quite a lot of diversity among the competitors. There were two women and three men in each team, ranging in age from eighteen to thirty years old. And while there wasn't a huge difference in height or weight between them, there were also a few who seemed to stand out from the crowd.
"Hmm..." I pondered aloud, thinking hard about which ones I would choose for our first match.
I narrowed it down to twenty-four warriors who were also the captains of each team, whom I thought could give the other teams a good show.
My decision would ultimately determine whether the first part would go well or not.
This was all about the ratings!
This had to work!
"Beloved, you should take better care of your appearance. Your pretty blonde hair is getting messy," Wyn chided, pointing out my disheveled locks.
She then began to fix it herself, brushing it away from my face. Her soft fingers running through my hair felt nice.
I shook my head lightly, telling her she didn't have to do that.
As he watched Wyn brush my hair, Ravus narrowed his eyes. He glanced over at me and smirked slightly. "What? You don't want her to touch your hair, Dream Master Dare? That's strange even for you."
He brushed his hand through his dark brown hair and stretched. He adjusted his glasses and stepped forward, positioning himself directly next to Wyn.
Wyn shot him a sharp glare. "Shouldn't you make sure the tasks and the tech magic and whatnot that goes with it are done properly before you mess around with something else?!"
"That's exactly why I'm here. Besides, I wanted to see what kind of reactions I'd get from you."
"You're shameless... I won't forgive you for this!"
"Don't worry. I already told her not to hit you except when you disrespect me," I replied, pointing over toward Wyn.
Wyn glared daggers at me, but Ravus just grinned knowingly. "I figured. It looks like she's dying to smack me again. I'm going to enjoy watching her struggle to hold back because of her dear beloved."
I knew Ravus liked teasing Wyn. But I couldn't help feeling exasperated by how he always acted this way whenever she was around.
Then again, maybe it was because they were childhood friends before they met me. Maybe Ravus simply enjoyed having such a beautiful lady around him.
Or perhaps...
No.
I decided not to think too deeply about it. I was more interested in gaining excellent ratings for our first round and subsequent ones, than worrying about Ravus.
I glanced over at the hovering main screen to see how the opening ceremony was progressing. The main stage featured all the contestants lined up. A number of guards stood beside them to ensure they wouldn't move until the signal came.
One by one, they raised their hands high above their heads and waited patiently.
A large countdown appeared on the screen, counting down from thirty seconds. The final second was displayed right away.
This was it!
It was my time to give my speech!
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Dare to Dream! A place where dreams become reality! We'll be broadcasting this event live to all in Althyra, so please support us by tuning in! Our opening ceremony will begin now!"
[Views: 2,331,678,900]
The screen flashed to black immediately after my announcement.
All eyes turned toward me. My voice echoed across the stadium.
I walked confidently onto the stage, smiling broadly at everyone.
"Let's begin with an introduction! I'm the host of Dare to Dream, Dream Master Dare!"
I paused dramatically. Everyone stared intently at me.